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Let’s set the scene:

The Draft is going relatively smoothly on Day 2, we've already picked up the #1 WR, QB of the future, and a pair of 300lb beasts for the middle of our O-line. We still have two more picks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. It is now time to address our defense.

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So it has now been a few hours and things have begun to settle down a bit in my head. I have watched a couple of videos:

Tim Tebow's 2007 Season

Tim Tebow's 51 Touchdowns

Also the Demaryius Thomas highlights someone else posted on the main page.

I would like to say that I am glad we traded down from #11... I'm just not sure we got the best value for our picks...It seems like perhaps those players would have still been around later on. I guess I have heard that Buffalo was trying to trade up so they could grab Tebow, and another WR was taken by Dallas right after we selected the first WR of the night. Maybe those players would not still be around if the Broncos failed to move up.

On a positive note: McDaniels got the guys he wanted. Whether or not it turns out that the players he wanted will turn out to be quality NFL players is another matter. I look forward to seeing what we are able to do with Tebow in short yardage situations this year and I think the Wild Horses could really get a jolt this year, what does a team do if Kyle Orton, Tebow and Moreno are all lined up

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If Mike Lombardi is correct in saying the Broncos are not willing to trade Brandon Marshall we can see three ways that things might play out.

1) #15 gets stuck with the broncos for another year for WAY LESS than he is worth. His next year of pay will go up a bit from last year, 2.5 from 2.2 million. Maybe he will have another 100 catch season at the insane bargain price he has been playing for these last three years. Larry Fitzgerald makes 40 million over 4 years. Marshall has been less than 10 million in these four years, albeit the first one was much less productive than the last three years (100 receptions each). Maybe they will let him stay on for one more year and offer him some kind of  "team first" incentive-heavy contract. If no one makes an offer he may be stuck with only that option in order to make big $$$. GOOD for Denver

2) Someone makes an offer and the Broncos accept their first round pick giving us two first round selections in what is being called one of the best quality drafts for reasons which will not be discussed here. We finally get rid of our biggest headache. Good for Denver.

3) Someone makes an offer and the Broncos match it. This is an interesting possibility, perhaps the Broncos are just gambling and hoping they can get #15 at a discount, it seems like a shrewd but effective move. He is a rare player, we have all seen some of the things he can do, from his first 70 yard TD catch his rookie year to his more recent running over of Cowboy defenders on his way to saving the game in true clutch fashion. He is #1 and #3 in single game receptions. McDaniels must know he is a game changer. I hope he stays in orange and blue, but I will still be happy with a #6 pick!

post-script: perhaps McDaniels benched #15 the final game of the season partly to devalue him to other teams, notice that Seattle didn't want Marshall enough to sign him just yet. He IS a huge risk, one more run in with the law and he could get a full year suspension. Maybe not getting suspended will be a provision in his contract if things play out this way.

Of all the moves Josh McDaniels has made this season, the only one that I have the most difficulty coming around to is the one that sent our 2010 first round pick next year to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the 37th overall pick in the 2009 draft, which was used to select Alphonso Smith.

Any idiot will tell you that a first rounder for a second rounder is a stupid move, no matter how you look at it, but perhaps that not true.

Let's discuss the pros and cons of this list after the jump:

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Link to a torrent file of the Denver at Baltimore game (11-01-09):

http://www.mininova.org/tor/3113307

I am pretty poor and cannot afford any sort of cable tv or satellite dish packages. But I do have Comcast high speed internet, which has allowed me to watch streaming NFL games for free using homertv.net and justin.tv

I recently discovered that the games can be downloaded as well in really great quality (720p). I have a converter from my computer to my big screen tv and I am able to watch all of the games in this way without paying anything other than my Comcast internet bill.

If anyone likes this I will be glad to share links every week with the next download, this way more of us can rewatch the game on our computers and break down the film without having to pay for any fees.

If anyone needs help with how to download torrent files, here is a very simple guide:

http://www.wikihow.com/Download-Torrents

Thanks go out to the Atlanta Falcons tonight, for playing great defense. A little thanks also goes to Jay Cutler for throwing a few key interceptions (double the interceptions in the red zone compared to the next closest guy in the league over the last 2 years).

Matt Ryan looked really good, and he is so young. I definitely see the comparisons to Peyton Manning, they both have a certain way about them in how they react to the defense, although Peyton is light years ahead of Ryan. It is crazy he is only in his second year.

I expect 8-8 for the Bears. Cutler will lose as many as he wins for the Bears off his canon arm and the average Bears stay average. While we definitely make the playoffs and have a mid 20's pick sent to Seattle, we get a 14-18 pick. I wonder what position we will draft. Go Broncos!

Hello there, I am a Bronco fan from Portland, OR. I had the opportunity to come to your beautiful stadium with my girlfriend for her first NFL game and we had a blast this preseason when our teams met up. It was kind of a bummer to lose but I've always been a huge T.J. fan.

One thing which I was forced to hear time and time again in the stadium was "Thanks for the top 5 pick". Of course I am referring to the trade made between the Broncos and Seahawks during the draft:

Denver's 2010 first round choice in exchange for an early pick in the second round of the 2009 draft who ended up being our starting nickel corner, though he is injured right now.

While at Qwest Field I had to put up with a lot of jibber jabber from some of your drunker fanbase and I just wanted to come over and see what you guys are expecting now? Still a top 5 pick?

Tough loss against the Cardinals by the way. Good luck with the rest of the season!

Following is an email I sent to Mike Kiszla

Mike,

How about instead of bashing milehighreport.com in your articles, you bash your fellow denver post journalists. Like that idiot Woody Paige who said the Broncos wouldn't win more than 4 games.

Your industry is failing and blogs like MHR are the reason. There is nothing you can do for sports fans that a blog can't do much better, much more often, and in a more in-depth manner.

Thanks though for the publicity! Any publicity is good publicity, and hopefully that link in your newspaper will send a few people over who might not have come over before. Thanks

A Bronco Fan

Champ Bailey is clearly at the top of his game and McDaniels and more specifically Mike Nolan created a scheme that would send the ball to a part of the field containing Champ Bailey.

Using mostly just their base defense the Broncos were able to shut down the run, especially in the second half when the Cowboys couldn't get anything going on the ground. When the Cowboys were forced into the air the Broncos were able to put pressure on Romo and make him throw stupid throws.

Stupid like throwing toward Champ Bailey.

Nolan realized that Tony Romo was trying to get 1 on 1 coverage with one of his receivers. He gave Romo that 1 on 1 coverage he was looking for, while maing sure the biggest strength of his defense, Champ Bailey's coverage skill, was there to knock it away. 

3 sacks from the defensive line, 1 from linebackers and 1 from the secondary

Pressure on Tony from all over the field led to him making a throw against the one place he should never throw to. Much credit to the philosophy Josh has brought into the building and Nolan for his aggressive style and full adoption of Josh's philosophy.

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He deserved to go to the pro bowl last year, though his name wasn't called. That mistake won't be made again. Who am I talking about? He is in his second year with the Broncos and his name is the Iron One. Of course I am talking about the dude who taught Elvis Dumervil everything he knows....

Ryan Clady has gone 19 games without giving up a full sack. Think about that for a second....

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So we are 2-0! Whoo hoo! We have the #1 scoring defense in the league! We are at the top of the division as well! The MSM is not giving us too much respect, as is their custom. But then again why should they? We only beat the Browns and the Bengals....But the Bengals looked much better against the Packers, who were beat by the Bears, who were beat by the Steelers, who were the Superbowl Champs last year!

So what?

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So I haven't missed a Broncos game in a few years, I trek out to the bar downtown with the biggest and most  tv's (I don't have the money for nfl package and they never show Bronco games where I am).

But today I am sick as a dog, can't bear to get out of bed, except to check my fantasy scores (im winning!) So my question to you fellows is this:

Is there any place online with a feed to the regular season games? I recell reading multiple links in the comments sections of most games, but I feel like that might be a preseason only sort of thing. Can anyone help me?

Thanks everyone! Go Donks!

I know that many out there are fantasy football lovers. It is so hard to gauge the value of rookies every season. Especially when they play for coaches in new systems. Knowshon could be the next T. Davis #30 or he could spend his rookie year doing situational work only.

No one really knows, especially since he has only played a few series in the first game of the preseason against the 49ers. 3 attempts, 18 years with a long of 9 yards. So far thats all we hav to go by in the NFL.

He will be sought after in most drafts, due to his being such a star in college. I see him as a 4th or 5th rounder in a 10 team league. I think he will go much sooner than that, however. He has potential, but I don't see him being used consistently enough in the Josh McDaniel's system to warrant a 2nd or 3rd rounder.

But if he were to develop into as big as a threat as a guy like Adrian Peterson we would have to put him in much more often. I could see him catching a lot of balls as Kyle Orton's safety valve. In point-per-reception leagues I would see him as a larger value.

Who knew that Eddie Royal would be such an impressive WR in his rookie year? I think I will be drafting another Bronco rookie onto my team this year, what about you?

As we all know a fantasy draft will take on a life of its own very quickly, and there might be a run on a certain position, etc...but if you were given the opportunity what round would you select Knowshon in your fantasy draft? I'm thinking a 10 team league?

I suppose it could just be because he hasn't been playing due to injury, but it seems a bold statement by McDaniels to have Brandon Marshall not listed as the designated #1 WR.

It will be interesting to see how B Marsh responds to this designation. I could see him going either way: pouting about it and getting upset, or taking it as a challenge and coming out and proving why he is a #1 receiver.

McDaniels has said that Brandon is watching film and attending all of the meetings, but he is really missing out on actual practice and getting chemistry with Kyle.

We knows that the Broncos will be using lots of Three-WR sets this year and that Royal and Gaffney are learning all of the positions. Is B Marsh? Is he having trouble learning the complex offense? His first year in Shanahan's offense he was not very effective....

In 2008 the Broncos started the year off with blowing things up in the passing game, starting in week 1 when they rolled over the Raiders. Those first few games they surprised their opponents with packages that utilized the many receiving threats and relied on Jay Cutler's raw talent, the cannon arm and precision passes. Things looked really good those first few games.

And then we were manhandled by the Defense of the Kansas City Chiefs....

At the time my orange tinted shades made me think that it was just the mistake of our young team perhaps, or a hiccup of some sort. Better make mistakes now, and learn, rather than do it in the playoffs. Obviously we can see in hindsight there were deeper issues hampering every phase of our game. But most especially our passing game became so one dimensional and other coaches picked up on what we were doing and figured out how to stop it.

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The trade involved 2 players and 4 draft picks. Everyone has an opinion on the trade, but few actually pay attention to everything that was exchanged. Many speculators focus on Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler, ignoring the bevy of picks that were exchanged as well. Often times in the MSM the trade is ridiculed.

Warren Sapp and some other guy on the NFL Network specifically said, when asked their thoughts on the trade that,  “It wasn’t the worst trade in NFL history, but it was definitely the stupidest.” They went on to give zero reasons why they believed this, but that’s okay because they don’t need to backup arguments with facts, they are a part of the MSM.

Here are the facts:

The Bears gave up Kyle Orton, 2 first rounders and a third rounder for Jay Cutler and a fifth rounder.

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Josh McDaniels has brought in a completely new offense, switched our defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and has promised to improve the dismally embarrassing special teams. He has brought in more free agents than perhaps any other NFL team this off-season. In addition, we have witnessed the greatest roster turnover in Bronco history! With so VERY much change this off-season we as fans have so much to look forward to. On the other hand we have lots to be scared about! After the jump:

Our new offense is incredibly complex, one of the most complex in the NFL according to Chris Simms. Simms went on to say that the incredible complexity is great because once the offense understands it, the defense becomes confounded by it. One problem many of us haven't considered is that only one off-season of learning will not be enough to teach our entire Broncos squad the complex system/s. 

McDaniels has shown that he has considered this. In order to facilitate the learning of the system he has brought in players who already know the system, Jabbar Gaffney, Lonnie Paxton, Lamont Jordan.

Let's look closer at Lamont Jordan: He is currently the first string RB in practice ahead of Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno. Is he really the best back on our team? Of course not! But he has previous experience with the system and with McDaniels and so he is currently the best back on our roster AT PLAYING OUR SYSTEM. Hopefully in time Knowshon will figure the offense out. He says "I'm catching it, starting to get the hang of it." 

Being smart goes a long way on this team and McDaniels drafted Moreno for a reason. In interviews he seems like he is humble enough to learn and become better, as do all of the players McD has brought in. But will being smart be enough?

I feel that our team is headed in the right direction. We have leaders on all three phases of the team, we have smart guys and smart coaches. But how good will they be that first week against Cincinnati? Will they really understand the offense? Will Elvis Dumervil really be able to fall back into coverage after such a short period of learning?

I am confident we will win some playoff games in the next couple of years and hopefully we will become a perennial contender, which is what McDaniels appears to be trying to make us. I'm just not sure that our team will be able to digest a completely new philosophy on all phases of the game, especially our offense.

On the other hand look at what the Falcons and Dolphins did last year. Look at the Cardinals. Any team can flip around over a single season. But can they do it with such a complex offense or such a drastic scheme change on defense? I sure hope so, and with the smart players we have brought in and retained I think this team will be in the playoffs the year after next at least. But we as fans should be excited about even an 8-8 or 9-7 season. Because with a year of experience under our belts we will be much more dangerous in 2 years. ESPECIALLY at QB, whoever ends up winning the QB battle. (I'm rooting for Orton, though I'm excited about what Simms can do too).

One scary thought is that our players might take a few games to learn the system properly and won't get the hang of it until week 5 or 6 when our schedule starts to get very tough. If we lose too many games it could be very bad for everyone's confidence.

Mike Shanahan is 56 years old. He is 17th on the list of wins for NFL head coaches. He has collected enough stats to ensure his place in the football hall of fame. He is a very big part of the Denver Bronco legends. He is well respected and has dedicated the greater part of his life to coaching.

When I say dedicate the greater part of his life that is no exagerration. During the season Head Coaches can spend over 80 hours a week preparing for each game. This life must be difficult, exciting and ultimateld satisfying, especially racking up the number of wins Shanahan has done in his career.

Currently he has a contract with the Denver Broncos. He can stand where he is and he will collect 20 million over the next three years. Think about that money...in this economy? Why not stand back and watch football, spend time with your family, have a paid vacation. He has earned it after the last 38 years of coaching (20 as a head coach). He obviously won't be coaching anywhere this year, I can't blame him for not wanting to take over any of the teams that were available.

If he were to choose to coach next year what are the teams you think he would be likely to coach for? Maybe he would like to be reunited with Jay Cutler? I think Lovie Smith is pretty safe at least for a few more seasons, even if Cutler doens't pan out, I would more likely expect GM Jerry Angelo to suffer for that, so I think this is unlikely.

If Wade Phillips fails to make the playoffs and Jason Garrett's offensive game planning is not effective this year I would expect Jerry Jones to look for someone like Mike Shanahan. Everyone talks about how Shanny coveted Jay Cutler as a franchise QB, well Tony Romo is no slouch. I could definitely see Shanahan using Felix Jones and Marion Barber effectively as well. It would seem so strange to see him in front of a background of silver stars...

To be honest I could just as likely see Shanahan call it a career and try out sports casting on ESPN with Terrell Davis. The ranks of Head Coaches are getting younger and younger. More often teams are looking for fresh faces. What do you all think?

So many here at MHR and in Denver are understandably bitter about Jay Cutler's departure from our beloved Broncos. Many of us will  passionately root for or against the Bears and Jay Cutler for many long seasons to come.

Cutler left in Denver an offense he flourished in. Young future Pro Bowl Tackles, Marshall, Royal, and a could-be stud RB Moreno, not to mention McDaniels, the guy who coached Tom Brady the year he broke every QB record for a single season.

Now he is a member of the Chicago Bears, who haven't played like the Super Bowl team that lost to the Colts for a few seasons. When I first heard Cutler was a Bear I couldn't believe it...but now that it has sunk in I have a few thoughts.

The Bears and Broncos have an interesting similarity. In 2008 both teams drafted Tackles and Receivers in the first 3 rounds (first 2 rounds for Broncos). Before the 2008 draft many MHR fans were calling for Shanahan to draft the LT and WR who share Alma maters with Jay Cutler: Tackle Chris Williams and WR Earl Bennett . The Bears picked them both up while we made some other selections at those positions.

Both the Bronco and Bear players were drafted closely together, but had far different impacts on their respective teams. Chris Williams was selected 14th overall, whereas Ryan Clady was a 12th overall pick. Earl Bennett was drafted in the third round while Eddie was drafted in the 2nd round.

We all know what kind of players Eddie Royal and Iron Clady have turned out to be, they both should have been in the running for Rookie of the Year. But how have the other players done? Earl Bennet the WR has yet to catch a ball and the tackle suffered multiple injuries before camp and during the season and was not able to make much of an impact either. Both players have pressure to step it up.

Cutler will also be throwing to Devin Hester...that is kind of a scary thought when you think about it. Jay can bomb it out there as good as any QB in the league and Hester is dangerous when he can catch the ball. I am expecting that to be Cutler's best shot at being productive. The rest of his receiving threats are not very dangerous either.

I wonder what kind of offense the Bears will offer up this season. Matt Forte will play a big role, but they didn't give up all they gave up just to let Forte run the ball. Cutler is a good Quarterback and he will win games for the Bears. But sometimes that rocket arm fires into triple coverage when in the redzone. I predict fewer touchdowns and more interceptions for Cutler as a Bear. And way more sacks.

As fans of the Denver Broncos we must hope that Chicago has a terrible year and loses many more games than they win. Simple because their losing record will increase the value of the first rounder we received from the trade. But will you root for Jay Cutler the season after that, or are you going to boo him?

Which players were slated to count the most against our salary cap at the beginning of this offseason?

Dre Bly - 6.8 million this year, 7.8  in 2010 and 8.5 million in 2011

Dewayne Robertson was going to be 2 or 3 million for each of the next 3 years.

Niko Koutouvides was going to be 3 million each of the next 2 years.

Jay Cutler (a few million in 2009, but 7 million in 2010, 15 million in 2011)

Daniel Graham (6.8, 7.7, 8.7 million for the years 2009, 2010, 2011)

Champ Bailey 13 million for each of the next 2 years!!!!

Since McXanders has come in, we have cut the first 3 of these burdens from the team. None of those players were worth the money Shanahan was paying them...that much was obvious to anyone.

The next person on the list is Jay Cutler, who has been replaced by a much cheaper Kyle Orton/Chris Simms hybrid. Whoever wins the starting role will be a downgrade from Cutler, but the upside is that our backup is now much better than before! Either way - we save money.

The New England Patriots have a history of releasing very talented players because they don't want to pay huge contracts. (see Daniel Graham)

Josh McDaniels has brought that philosphy to Denver. Look closer at some of the selections from the draft and you will see some corralation to our highest paid players.

Point in case: Daniel Graham. The best blocking tight end in football today. Drafted by the Patriots and let go when his contract ended. His splash in the free agency pool was big enough to cause a bidding war between the Broncos and Seahawks a few years ago. He is now one of the highest paid players on our roster. He will count 6.8, 7.7, 8.7 million against the cap for the years 2009, 2010, 2011.

The second highest paid player on the team is the best blocking tight end in football. We just drafted the best blocking tight end in the draft.

Same thing with Bailey. He is counting way too much against the cap... The Patriots DO NOT pay those kind of contracts to anyone other than Tom Brady. We will not extend Champ's contract without him taking a huge paycut, and why would he? He is one of the best in the league and someone else is willing to pay him what he is worth....just not us, anymore.

Obviously Alphoso Smith can learn in the nickel position this year, but if he proves to be as valuable as McXanders thinks he is, I wouldn't be suprised to see Bailey released even before his contract is up...I would be very suprised to see us resign Bailey, without him taking a big paycut...which he might be willing to take, if we made some kind of a playoff run this year.

One other player who will count a significant amount against the cap I have not mentioned is DJ Williams. Shanahan awarded DJ a big fat contract in the middle of last year and I wonder if he is really worth it? We all love DJ, but as many here have pointed out, his next game changing play will be his first. I wonder if McDaniels agrees?

Another player who is counting more than a few million for each of the next few years, but hasn't proven he is worth the cap space: Jarvis Moss a DE/OLB...is it any coincidence that we spent our second pick of the draft and the only draft selection to address the Front 7 on a DE/OLB type in Ayers?

There is no reason we aren't in the playoffs this year and real contenders next year. Go Broncos!

Day 1 of the draft is over and we haven't addressed our needs on the front line whatsoever.

Who is going to start?  Please someone tell me!!!!

Besides that, I am excited about the picks, especially Knowshon....what a great name! Maybe we just brought in the second coming of LT! I hope so. Highlights of the rest of our selections seem promising. I am even okay with the trading up using out extra first rounder.

We just added an amazing RB, who will add something to this offense we haven't seen since Clinton Portis or TD. We also found another guy who not only will help us as as an outside linebacker, but can also put his hand on the ground. Versatility is obviously important to McDaniels and I am excited about that.

Mike Shanahan never once commented on any player's benefit to 3rd down. McDaniels thought process seems more thourough then Shanahan. He seems to have the big picture in mind and he seems so smart. I can't help but think that some of the question marks that we as fans have at this point in the draft have already been answered in the minds of the coaches...and that the Denver Broncos are on their way to a beautiful season!

Did anyone else notice that San Diego didn't have very many picks in day 1?

Go Broncos!

Everyone not named McDaniels, Bowlen, Cook, Cutler, or someone sleeping with said named persons will never really know what went down in the weeks leading up to the trade, but now that it has played out the way it has I feel optimistic about where we are at.


Cutler has been deemed a *franchise QB* by the MSM. Just like Vince Young after his rookie year, just like Derek Anderson after his Pro Bowl season. Now I’m not saying Jay Cutler lacked talent, because obviously we all saw that he had lots of it. But he was also surrounded by talent.


We will see which QB comes out of training camp starting; my money is on Kyle Orton, based on what everyone in Chicago has been saying. He seems to be the opposite of Jay Cutler, which is exactly what McDaniels wanted, I guess. A guy who will rally the troops when it matters most, which will fit into the system and play by coaches rules, rather than the hot headed QB who will throw it into triple coverage, trying to make something out of nothing. Not to say I won’t miss those hot headed throws, they made me jump for joy many times…but I will not miss the interceptions and failed drives.


I bet Orton will be grateful for the opportunity to man the helm of this offense. His stats in Chicago weren’t bad considering the talent around him. 18 TD’s isn’t much, but only 12 INT’s is impressive. Especially considering how run oriented the Bears are, and considering no one even knows the names of his Wide Receivers.


So we have taken a significant but not unbearable drop off at one position albeit the most important position, and in exchange we have the 18th and 84th pick as well as Chicago’s First Rounder next season. I have listed some recent 18th and 84th picks:


2008    18 Baltimore Ravens                 Joe Flacco Quarterback Delaware

84 Atlanta Falcons                    Harry Douglas Wide receiver Louisville

2007    18 Cincinnati Bengals    Leon Hall Cornerback Michigan

            84 St. Louis Rams                    Jonathan Wade Cornerback Tennessee

2006    18 Dallas Cowboys                  Bobby Carpenter Linebacker Ohio State

            84 San Francisco                      Brandon Williams Wide Receiver Wisconsin

2005    18 Minnesota Vikings   Erasmus James Defensive End Univ. of Wisconsin

            84 New England                       Patriots Ellis Hobbs Cornerback Iowa State

2004    18 New Orleans Saints             Will Smith Defensive end Ohio State

            84 Seattle Seahawks                Sean Locklear Guard NC State

2003    18 Arizona Cardinals                Calvin Pace Defensive End Wake Forest

            84 Cleveland Browns               Chris Crocker Safety Marshall

2002    18 Atlanta Falcons                    T. J. Duckett Running Back Michigan State

            84 St. Louis Rams                    Lamar Gordon Fullback North Dakota State

2001    18 Detroit Lions                       Jeff Backus Tackle Michigan

            84 Tampa Bay Buccaneers       Dwight Smith Free Safety Akron

2000    18 New York Jets                    Chad Pennington Quarterback Marshall

            84 Miami Dolphins                   Ben Kelly Cornerback University of Colorado


Of these players only one has been to a pro bowl, Will Smith the 2004 18th round pick. Hopefully McDaniels/Xanders can choose better than the other people who have come before them, because everything counts on that. They have gambled a sure thing, in Jay Cutler, for an opportunity to bring in some impact players for our defense. And I believe they will draft defense only with our first rounders and probably our second round selection as well. If they want a QB I think they will choose someone in a later round to sit on the bench and develop, or as many here at MHR have mentioned, wait until the deep QB class of 2010.


If they can draft 5 starters on defense and Kyle Orton or Chris Simms come in and produce with the talent that is surrounding them there is no reason we can’t expect to win at least as many games as last year. But my expectations for this year aren’t high, due to the tough schedule and implementation of a new offense and defense. But lookout for 2011 when they get another two first round selections. If we can draft properly and build this team the way the Patriots, Steelers, and Colts have successfully built their teams we can be good for a long time, even without Jay Cutler.


By the way my favorite response to the trade was Brian Urlacher’s "I guess he will make us a better team."


I think that Chicago is going to be sadly surprised by the fact that even a great QB won’t succeed without the right tools, and they traded away their ability to surround him with great tools, oh yeah besides an aging veteran Left Tackle. Poor Jay will be walking into a locker room with a huge weight on his shoulders. Kyle Orton was a big part of that locker room and Jay will have a tough time considering how much the Bears paid for him on top of his shenanigans this off-season.


We won’t know for many years if this trade was a steal or not, and it will depend much on what the Broncos can make out of this draft and the next. Too bad we fired the guys responsible for the last few good drafts….here is hoping McXanders know what they are doing!


Go Broncos!

I have read from a number of sources, citing an unnamed ex-GM, that the value for Jay Cutler would be a quarterback as well as a first round pick for this year and a first rounder from next year.

I jumped on the Jay Cutler bandwagon when we drafted him and I have supported him the last three years like the rest of us....but if we could get two extra first round picks for him, as well as a Brady Quinn type replacement I would jump on it!

Jay has been great and he broke most of the QB franchise single season records this last season but he hasn't been that amazing. He was sitting behind the best pass-blocking line in football and he was throwing to the second best receiving corps behind the Cardinals.

His stats were boosted by a total lack of a running game and a constant need to score due to a porous defense. And stats are the only reason he was made a pro-bowler. He couldn't win the games we needed him to. His immaturity was visible on the field too often for my taste. He has proven not to be a team player.

Look at Vince Young. He had a great rookie season and went to the Pro Bowl. In hindsight, don't you think the Titans would have loved to have dumped him after that first season and received two first round picks in exchange? Obviously the situations are completely different and everything is different in hindsight.

All I'm saying is, I think the Denver Broncos would be a better team with an extra 1st round pick this year and another next year....however perhaps the salary cap hits we would take from two additional first rounders would not be worth it...I don't know.

All of this is moot though, since most likely no one would give up their first round selections and I don't think McXanders want to give in to Jay's trade request.